Lactic Acid Fermentation - Exothermic!

[Cheese Head]

Last night I started making some Chaource lactic acid coagulated cheese, warmed the 2-1/8 US gallons/8 liters of milk to 27C/80F (slightly higher than wanted) in a thin walled stockpot and left overnight with lid on.

This morning, measured temperature at 26C/79F, only a 1C/2F drop after 16 hours, but the strange thing is the ambient room temperatire was 22C/72F!

I've noticed this in my other lactic acid cheeses where left to ripen overnight, there is no way it retained all that heat overnight, the lactic acid fermentation reaction must be exothermic (heat generating)!

I've seen nothing in my cheese making books about this but when search the internet I get several hits, mostly on human body and exercise and lactic acid generation being exothermic resulting in swelling, but also found this website which says it's exothermic.

If I'm wrong please let me know or if anyone has a better understanding I'd appreciate some more info.

Also, I've no idea how this helps in making cheese.

[DeejayDebi]

All those latic acid bacteria munching away at that lactos must expend some energy ... aka heat. Makes sense to me.

[Tropit]

I can just see you now...white lab coat on...hairnet...maybe some hornrims...curds and wheys are bubbling madly under bunson burners, a multitude of molds grow exponentially in their petri dishes, while white rats running on their little exercise wheels create a droning hum in the background.  Buuuuahahahaha!!!!!!!!

Gawd, I miss biology class!

[Alex]

Last night I started making some Chaource lactic acid coagulated cheese, warmed the 2-1/8 US gallons/8 liters of milk to 27C/80F (slightly higher than wanted) in a thin walled stockpot and left overnight with lid on.

This morning, measured temperature at 26C/79F, only a 1C/2F drop after 16 hours, but the strange thing is the ambient room temperatire was 22C/72F!

I've noticed this in my other lactic acid cheeses where left to ripen overnight, there is no way it retained all that heat overnight, the lactic acid fermentation reaction must be exothermic (heat generating)!

I've seen nothing in my cheese making books about this but when search the internet I get several hits, mostly on human body and exercise and lactic acid generation being exothermic resulting in swelling, but also found this website which says it's exothermic.

If I'm wrong please let me know or if anyone has a better understanding I'd appreciate some more info.

Also, I've no idea how this helps in making cheese.

Regardless wether exothermic or not, when I make lactic type cheeses I use to wrap and cover the pot with a thick blanket to keep temperature constant.